


Greeks and Barbarians

by Violsva



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Angst and Humour, Gen, Immortality, Languages, Loss, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:14:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25824967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Violsva/pseuds/Violsva
Summary: Joe means well.
Relationships: Andy | Andromache of Scythia & Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Andy | Andromache of Scythia & Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani & Nicky | Nicolò di Genova & Quynh | Noriko
Comments: 4
Kudos: 71





	1. Chapter 1

“Σοι ‘Ελληνιζωμεν,” Yusuf offered in Lahore. They were still getting used to each other, and he expected it to surprise Andromache. It sort of did.

“ _What_?” she said, staring at him.

“Τον ‘Ελληνικα σοι λεγωμεν,” he tried.

“I have no idea what you’re saying.”

“We could speak Greek for you,” he said, in Arabic.

“Clearly you can’t.”

“We could learn. Really. We all speak Arabic and Genovese, and you speak Tieng Viet. We could learn Greek—or Scythian, or ... your language.” Andromache just shook her head. “You could teach us. It seems only fair.”

“No one speaks Scythian anywhere anymore,” she said. “Learn something useful.”

“Greek is useful.”

“Well, yeah.” She looked west over the rooftops. “Yeah, we could go back to Greece sometime.”

“But it’s not your homeland, is it?”

Andromache shrugged. “Neither is Scythia, anymore.”


	2. Chapter 2

The exchange in Lahore had lowered Yusuf’s confidence for some time, so he let himself enjoy feeling smug twenty years later in Constantinople, when Andromache couldn’t make herself understood in the marketplace.

“Forgive her,” he said to the merchant. “We would like mutton, eight pieces, and directions to the nearest inn, if you would. And one of those almond cakes,” he added, because Andromache looked furious.

She took the cake with ill grace, but she did take it.

“Ignore her,” Quynh laughed. “She’s just mad because the language hasn’t stayed still for the last millennium. You’ll learn it again, Andy.”


End file.
